'Does Milton Keynes really need another pizza restaurant?' you might ask, and you would be justified; after all, there are plenty of high street chains, delivery brands and independent names operational in the town already, writes Sammy Jones.
Fireaway is the newest name on the block, and opened its doors on 12th Street at the start of October.
The diner is brightly furnished, modern and inviting, and when we made a lunchtime visit the phone kept ringing with online orders, clearly plenty of Keynes folk are already keen on the doughy stuff created here.
The menu is a cracker; a decent selection of starters tempts you to choose from garlic breads and olive pots, salads and meaty moments.
As vegan diners, we did wonder if the menu would have much to offer us. Thankfully it did, and we decided on potato wedges drizzled with garlic oil, and an avocado salad.
Fireaway does everything fresh; not fresh from the freezer, or pre-cooked, but properly fresh. And the proof is in the taste. The salad was generously portioned too, and not so much as a solitary leaf was wilting. It's not often I would choose the green stuff when out for a meal, for fear of the bland and boring mouthfuls of iceberg that I would be subjected to.
Except that Fireaway food is much more tasty, and when the pizzas arrive looking decidedly yummy, it was difficult to swap to the dough-lightful main course. The salad was that nice!
But my fellow diner wasted no time before digging into his slices of vegan cheese laden pizza, topped with spinach, mushroom, red onions and garlic, and so I followed suit, substituting the 'shrooms for pepper, jalapenos and chilli oil.
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Fireaway promises artisan pizza, and that's precisely what we get. Our chef took real pride in handcrafting these tummy teasers (we know because everything is made in front of you), and they tasted delicious.
From the time you order to the lip-licking pizza arriving at your table is quick too; cooking the food in a 400 degree stone fired oven gets the job done in around three minutes. If this is the future of fast food, we'll sign up as regulars!
Diners can choose from four bases and more than 20 toppings, with plenty of veggie options (we'll not have the pineapple debate here and now, but it is on the menu), and you can choose to add a finishing touch with garlic oil, oregano, chilli flakes or that aforementioned chilli oil.
There are no burned crusts, no uneven toppings and no soggy bit in the middle. And better still, there is no post-feast bloated feeling.
The only slight niggle is that the menu offered no desserts for vegans, but no doubt that will be rectified in time, and to be honest, we were so full from our starter and main that we would have passed on this occasion any way.
Any way you slice it, Fireaway has made pizza exciting again in Milton Keynes.
